James Franco at the Oscar-nominee luncheon; Had the actor showed this much enthusiasm during the show, perhaps his career wouldn't be in question. Corbis

March 1, 2011

ADVERTISEMENT

Sign Up for

Our free email newsletters

10 things you need to know today

Today's best articles

Today's top cartoons

The good news newsletter

The week's best photojournalism

Daily business briefing

Was he stoned? Or just apathetic? Did he think he was too cool to even be there? Critics and Oscar viewers puzzled over such questions after James Franco's dismal, listless attempt to co-host the Academy Awards (with Anne Hathaway) on Sunday night. Some commentators say Franco "ruined" the Oscars. Will this public disaster derail his career?

This could be the end: Franco had declared he'd do his best at the Oscars, but if that was his best, there's "no way" his career can fully recover, says Annie Lubin at New York Press. He's beginning to seem like one of those people who's "interested in doing a mediocre job at everything." Still, "we've seen more unlikely comebacks after worse falls." He's got five movies set to come out this year — "let's hope at least one of them is decent.""After Last Night's Oscars, is there hope for James Franco?"

I'm done with him: Franco basically "took a massive dump on roughly 37 million Americans who looked forward" to the big night, says Mike Ryan at Movieline. Now, "I'm pretty much done with him." Moving forward, he needs to "seriously reevaluate what he's doing and what it really means to accept a job — especially one like 'master of ceremonies,'" though I'm not sure I'll be there to watch."I am so over you, James Franco"

He'll survive this: Franco has become an actor whose primary vocation is deconstructing his own celebrity, says Kyle Buchanan at New York. But "Hollywood is more forgiving than you might think to actors who indulge in long-term self-satirization" (see Joaquin Phoenix). While the general public may have soured on him, top directors are still likely to seek him out. "James Franco: Now what?"